What you need is some practice time to help you develop your confidence in your firearms and your abilities when using them. Practice transitioning back and forth between the shoulder weapons and the pistol. Get that down pat until it becomes a real smooth movement system.

The more trigger time you have the better you will feel about your weapons and your tactics. What's also nice is that you'll also gain more knowledge as to what your firearms will and will not do for you. Using a hollow point round in a .223 caliber rifle isn't a bad idea at all in an urban situation. That's what a lot of the SWAT teams do because the hollow points expend their energy almost as soon as they strike something solid.

Depending on where you live, you might ask some of the local tactical cops what they use for ammo and why they use that particular type of ammo. But no matter what, keep in mind that any round that you fire will always have the potential for over-penetrating which means that somebody beyond your target could be wounded or killed. Over-penetration is that ghost that people fear but it very rarely shows up in any police related shootings. The Police Training Institute, which is a part of the University of Illinois, has taught for years that over-penetration is something that so rarely happens that they don't even worry about it at all. They do, however, encourage police trainees to be aware of what is beyond their targets or beware of the backstops beyond what the officers are shooting. The FBI's FTU, Firearms Training Unit, also urges caution when shooting at a target and to be aware of what's beyond your target but they also indicate that over-penetration is a rare event too. So to eliminate concerns for over-penetration the best thing would be for your shots to hit the target but, under stress, you're right, not all of your shots will hit home with 100% accuracy. But practice, forethought and training can help reduce much of the problems associated with the dangers involving tactical shooting situations.

If your defense plan involves sheltering in a designated "safe room" and awaiting reinforcements (e.g. police, via 9-1-1 call), you COULD 1) identify your field of fire and 2) reinforce those walls against penetration. (e.g. bookcase filled with books, Heavy mirror backed with 3/4" to 1" plywood or other stout stuff).

For example, my primary defensive location is my front door which looks out ont the street. No protection for innocent bystanders there except distance.

Second defensive position is at the top of the stairs. Backstop that will catch misses is my front yard. There is very little ricochet danger.

Third defensive position if my master bedroom, through the doorway into the hallway. Any stray rounds would have to pass through no less than three interior walls, all at oblique angles. Very difficult for any round to penetrate.

Analyze your response plan and your physical environs. Keep in mind that no plan is perfect or will be enacted exactly as you envision, but if you control the variables well enough, you will reduce the risk to your neighbors considerably.

in the moment when my life is in peril, I am sure to be more concerned with what happens if I don't shoot rather than what happens if I do. When I lived in an apartment I made a plan to always [try] to put myself in very low position shooting at upward angle. Its not perfect but it was best I could do under the circumstances and being on the top level of the apartments.

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